Rail-frog.



A. T. STETNA.

RAIL mos. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1908.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

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A. T'. STETNA.

RAIL mos.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 28, 1908. 908,349. Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

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ANDREW T. STETNA, OF WHEATON, KANSAS.

RAIL-FROG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Application filed May 28, 1908. Serial No. 435,571.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW T. STETNA, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wheaton, in the county of Pcttawatomie and State of Kansas,have invented a new and useful Rail-Frog, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to railway frogs and its object is to provide afrog having shiftable spring controlled members designed to be actuatedby the flanges of car wheels passing over the frog upon either track ofthe crossing and when moving in either direction.

Another object is to provide opposedmembers movably mounted and havingmeans whereby movement may be transmitted from one member to the otherso that both will be simultaneously shifted by the car wheels.

Another object is to provide simple means whereby the members may befirmly clamped against the rails so as to prevent the flanges of the carwheels working between the members and the rails against which they areshifted.

l/Vith these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction and combinations of parts which will behereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings is shown the preferred form of theinvention.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a planview of a frog constructed inaccordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevationof thetongue. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section therethrough. Fig. 4 is anelevation of the knob end of the point. Fig. 5 is an enlarged plan viewof the connection between the point and a rail. Fig. 6 is a section online AB, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a horizontal section through the point andshowing the locking mechanism used in connection therewith. Fig. 8 is anelevation of the butt end portion of said point. Fig. 9 is a verticalsection on line CD Fig. 7. Fig. 10 is a view partly in plan and partlyin section of the butt end of the tongue and its holding block. Fig. 11is a section on line EF, Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a section on line GH,Fig. 1. Fig. 13 is a plan view of the intermediate actuating lever. Fig.14 is a central longitudinal section therethrough. Fig. 15 is a sectionon line IK, Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 designates anelongated base plate on which are secured the alining main line rails 2and 3 and the alining crossover rails 4 and 5. The rail 2 has its endportion bent at an angle to form a guard rail 6 extending parallel withthe rails 4 and 5, while the rail 4 has its end portion bent at an angleto form a guard rail 7 extending parallel to the rails 2 and 3. Rail 5is cut away preferably at right angles, whereas rail 3 terminates in abeveled end 8. These two rails 3 and 5 have a filling block 9 interposedbetween and bolted to them so that they are held properly spaced andconnected at all times. Apertures 10 are preferably formed in the baseplate between the rails 2 and 5 and the guard rails 6 and 7 to permitmoisture to drain through the plate at these points and also to allowsmall particles of dirt, etc., to sift therethrough.

Secured to the rail 4 and between it and the rail 2 is a holding block11 having a recess 12 extending into one end thereof and from the innerWall of which extends a socket 13. Projecting into the recess 12 is thebutt end of a shiftable tongue 14 having its free end beveled on bothfaces so that the same can be shifted to fit snugly against either rail2 or rail 4. The recess 12, as indicated in Fig. 10, is shaped so as topermit the sliding lateral movement of the tongue, which necessarilyoccurs within the recess while the tongue is being shifted. A bolt 15extends through the block 11 and transversely through the recess 12 andthe butt end of the tongue 14 as ordinarily, and a spring 16 is seatedwithin socket 13 and bears constantly against the end of the tongue. Asshown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4 the metal plates 17 are secured by means ofbolts 18 to opposite faces of the web of tongue 14, said plates beingextended beyond the point and shaped to form a knob 19.

A casing 20 is secured to the rail 4 and extends laterally therefrom andextending through this casing and through the rail is a rod 21 having ahead engaging the tongue 14. A nut 22 is mounted on the threaded end ofrod 21 and is designed. to slide within the casing 20 and interposedbetween the rail 4 and this nut is a spring 23. Any suitable means suchas bent wires 24 can be provided for preventing the nut 22 fromunscrewing from the bolt 21. This spring pressed bolt 21 serves to holdtongue 14 normally pressed against rail 4 as shown in Fig. 1.

Extending between the guard rails 6 and 7 is a shiftable V-shaped pointconsisting of a relatively long arm 25 one end of which is cut off atright angles while the other end has a relatively short arm 26 bolted toit and provided with a beveled end 27 designed to abut against thebeveled end 8 hereinbefore referred to. Arm 26 is so positioned as toaline with the rails 2 and 3 when the point is shifted against the guardrail 6, said point being also shiftable against the guard rail 7 so asto bring the arm 25 into alinement with the rails 4 and 5. A combinedstop and holding plate 28 is secured to base plate 1 and is designed toreceive thereunder one base flange of the arm 26 when the point isshifted against the guard rail 7. A casing 29 similar to the casing 20is connected to the guard rail 6 and has a spring pressed rod 30extending therefrom and through rail 6, said rod being secured to thearm 25 of the V- shaped point. As shown in Fig. 7 the shiftable V-pointformed by the arms 25 and 26 has plates 31 secured to opposite facesthereof and forming a knob 32 at the free end of the point, said knobbeing similar to the knob 19 heretofore referred to. It is of course tobe understood that in order that the arm25 may be shifted relative tothe rail 5 it is necessary to form one or more slots 33 therein for thereception of bolts 34 extending through the filling block 9. A lever 35is interposed between the rails 2 and 4 where they merge into the guardrails 6 and 7 and this lever has recesses 36 in its ends into which theknobs 19 and 32 project. The side edges of the lever are rounded so asto properly bear against the rails 2 and 4 as shown in Fig. 1.

Secured within the angle formed by rail 4 and guard rail 7 is a block 37having an elongated socket 38 extending longitudinally therein andwithin this socket is mounted a plunger 39 which is held normallyprojected toward one end of the socket by means of a spring 40. Recesses41 are formed in the upper face of the block 37 V and one of them opensinto socket 38. Pivoted within one recess 41 is a link 42 and anotherlink 43 is pivoted to the link 42 and extends through the other socket41 and is pivotally connected to the lungcr 39. The joint formed by thetwo hnks 42 and 43 is normally positioned above the top face of block 37and close to and above the tread of the rail 4. Slidably mounted withinand extending transversely of the block 37 is a slide 44 pivotallyconnected to the V-point 2526 and having a V-shaped tooth 45 extendingfrom one edge thereof, either one of the inclined faces or edges of thetooth being designed to be engaged by the end of plunger 39, accordingto the position of the point 25-26.

It is to be understood of course that the tongue 14 and frog point 2526are held by the springs in casings 20 and 29 normally pressed againstthe rails 4 and 6 respectively, thus maintaining the main rail 23 normally closed. If a car approaches the frog along rail 4 the flanges ofthe wheels will wedge between rail 4 and tongue 14 and will shift saidtongue against rail 2 and thus tension the spring and casing 20. At thesame time lever 35 will be swung by the tongue 14 so as to throw thepoint 2526 against guard rail 7. This action will force the slide 44into the block 37 and the tooth 45 thereon will push past the end of theplunger, this action being permitted in view of the fact that theplunger is spring pressed. The treads of the wheels will ride over theprojecting joint formed by links 42 and 43 and the lunger 39 will thusbe forced against one inclined edge of the tooth 45 and thus throw theslide 44 longitudinally so as to tightly bind the point and tongueagainst the rails with which they contact. As soon as the wheels havepassed onto the point 2526 and rail 5 the springs 23 will return thepoints to their initial positions. Obviously the frog will operate inthe same manner when a car approaches it in either direction upon eitherrail.

The guard rail 6 is so shaped at its terminal that when the flanges ofthe car wheels crowd between this rail and the point 25 said point willbe thrown fully over before much of the weight of the car is broughtthereon. That face of the point 10 adjoining the rail 4 is, providedwith a slight curve so as to insure a proper contact between said parts.

What is claimed is:

1. A railway frog comprising fixedly secured main line, crossing andguard rails, a frog point and a tongue movably mounted between the railsand shiftable by wheel flanges, and means interposed between the railsand directly engaged at its ends by the ends of the point and tongue fortransmitting motion between the point and the tongue.

2. In a railway frog the combination with fixedly connected main line,siding, and guard rails; of a shiftable frog point and a slidable tongueinterposed between the rails and movable by the flanges of a car-wheel,and a motion-transmitting lever interposed between the rails and betweenthe point and tongue and directly engaged at its ends by the ends of thepoint and tongue.

3. A railway frog consisting of fixed rails, a point and a tongueoppositely disposed, a lever movably mounted between the rails andhaving recessed ends, enlargements upon the point and tongue and movablymounted within the recessed ends, and means depressible under the weightof wheels passing over the rails for binding the point and tongue inshifted positions.

4. A railway frog comprising fixedly connected main line, siding, andguard rails, a frog point and a tongue oppositely disposed and movablymounted therebetween and shiftable by the flanges of car Wheels passingover the rails, means for causing the simultaneous movement of the pointand tongue in opposite directions, and means operated by the Wheels uponthe car for binding the point and tongue in shifted positions.

5. A railway frog comprising fixedly connected main line, crossing, andguard rails, a movable frog point and a movable tongue oppositelydisposed and interposed between the rails, spring actuated means forholding said polnt and tongue normally in predetermined positions,movable means connecting the point and tongue for transmitting motionfrom one to the other, said point and tongue being shiftable by theflanges of car Wheels upon the rails, a slide connected to the point, aspring pressed plunger normally engaging the slide, and means connectedto the plunger for actuation by Wheels passing over the frog to actuatethe plunger to bind the point and tongue in shifted position.

6. The combination with a shiftable frog point, a slide movabletherewith, and a pointed projection upon the slide; of a spring actuatedplunger normally bearing against the slide, said projection beingshiftable into position at either side of the projection, and meansconnected to the plunger and depressible by Wheels upon the frog forshift ing the plunger against the projection to bind the point inshifted position.

'7. In a railway frog a tongue and a shiftable frog point oppositelydisposed, knobs disposed at the adjoining terminals of said tongue andpoint, and a lever interposed between and engaging the knobs, said leverconstituting means for transmitting motion between the tongue and point.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my oWn, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

ANDREW T. STETN A.

Witnesses:

S TH INGALSBEE, JAMEs McDERMorr.

